The New Northern Central

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Holy balls, I can't believe the last post here was in January. Yikes.

Well, I haven't been making a ton of very visible progress, but it's been important progress nontheless.

First, to catch folks up, there are two videos you should check out. The first is @chuck geiger 's Train Talk Media podcast episode featuring yours truly.

I talked a good bit about the reasons I'm modeling the NCR. Odds are though, if you're reading this, you're aware of it already. I'm mostly posting it for posterity's sake.

/>
Next up, I did a two hour long presentation on my 20 years of modeling the Northern Central.

The slides are available here: https://conrail1285.com/modeling-the-northern-central-with-a-twist/
And here's the YouTube video.

/>

[Ed Kapuscinski]

And now another post to bump that post count...

I've spent the past year "stuck" trying to figure out how to do downtown York justice. Well, a few recent research finds has helped me break the mental logjam. And breaking the mental logjam has broken the modeling logjam.

The biggest thing to figuring out how to move forward was the realization that whatever I do doesn't have to be permanent. As better info becomes available or if I get more adventurous with my scratchbuilding efforts I can do a better job of the various structures. But a stand-in looks better than empty foam, so I should use them when I can.

With that sorted, it was then onto the idea of how to "fix the terrain". I did the "standard model railroad" thing and laid the track on strips of cork. But that caused a big problem: the track was now too far off the level of the ground. I never really solved that on the previous layout and it always bugged me. Not this time.

The SMART solution would've been to just lay everything on sheet cork. But I didn't think of that until it was too late.

Instead, what I've ended up doing is laying down layers of 2mm craft foam.

I then laid a strip of cork between my two tracks.

That's yielded the desired effects, so progress can now continue. I guess the next step is cutting roads.

Anyway, here it is with my fleet of B23s.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Oh, and I made some progress on the convenience store around the corner.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[basementcalling]

And now another post to bump that post count...

I still think @peteski 's record is safe, until maybe you are as old as he is, Ed

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ok, maybe it's time to hang up the spurs boys...

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[Point353]

Ok, maybe it's time to hang up the spurs boys...

(Attachment Link)

Lance Mindheim models Conrail?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Lance Mindheim models Conrail?

If you confuse a photo of my stuff with Lance's, maybe I really SHOULD go out on top 

[John]

I tried it in chatgpt

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[Point353]

If you confuse a photo of my stuff with Lance's, maybe I really SHOULD go out on top 

According to Google AI, Ed K is "celebrated for his highly detailed, immersive scenery and meticulous craftsmanship."
"His work is characterized by hyper-realistic structures and scenery, often modeled down to the finest details" with a "focus on creating a visually rich, believable scene."

[basementcalling]

According to Google AI, Ed K is "celebrated for his highly detailed, immersive scenery and meticulous craftsmanship."
"His work is characterized by hyper-realistic structures and scenery, often modeled down to the finest details" with a "focus on creating a visually rich, believable scene."

Must be the wrong EdK. I got "thorough knowledge of Baltimore area diners, though usually located in parking lots of strip clubs."

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Must be the wrong EdK. I got "thorough knowledge of Baltimore area diners, though usually located in parking lots of strip clubs."

Must be the wrong EdK. I got "thorough knowledge of Baltimore area diners, though usually located in parking lots of strip clubs."

[peteski]

I still think @peteski 's record is safe, until maybe you are as old as he is, Ed

 

[dem34]

Ok, maybe it's time to hang up the spurs boys...

AI has declared, all you need is a wintry filter spray coat.

[OldEastRR]

Ed, just declare an N-scale TS Agnes just blew through your layout and stopped everything.

[davefoxx]

Ed,

I don’t know if you’ll learn anything from this video on the NCRR that just popped up on YouTube, but here you go:

DFF